HLA Student Organizations & Honoraries

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HLA Student Organizations & Honoraries​

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS AND HONORARIES

Horticulture and landscape architecture students have many opportunities to interact with other students at Purdue through involvement in student organizations, honor societies and clubs. These organizations bring together students and faculty that share common interest and career goals. The following are brief descriptions of honor societies and student organizations directly related to horticulture, landscape architecture, and agriculture.

Purdue Horticultural Society / Hort Club

The Purdue Horticultural Society is a student organization that provides professional, social, and educational activities for students in horticulture and other disciplines. The club is a member of the Associate of Collegiate Branches (ACB) of the American Society for Horticultural Science and the Mid-American Collegiate Horticulture Society (MACHS). Faculty Advisors are Drs. Kathryn Orvis and Michael Dana.

The Hort Club has bi-weekly regular meetings. Programs for meetings include guest lectures, social events with the faculty, and fund-raising projects. Hort Club is one of the most financially sound option clubs on campus due to the size of its fund-raisers. These include rose sales for Sweetest Day and Valentine's Day, and the annual Hort Show. Funds are used to support service projects, take October Break trips, and for scholarships.

Hort Club awards two scholarships each year; the Dr. Leslie Hafen Outstanding Senior in Horticulture Award (awarded in December), and the Purdue Horticultural Society Outstanding Member Award (awarded in May). Students must be members of the club to be eligible for these awards. Hort Club is open to students of all majors. Involvement in the club is one of the best ways to gain experience in horticulture, meet people with similar interests, and interact with HLA faculty.

The Purdue Chapter of PLANET was established as a student chapter of the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA) by a group of students in the Landscape Horticulture and Design and Landscape Architecture programs in the fall of 2000. The chapter became a standing committee of the Purdue Hort Club in 2008. PLANET is a professional organization serving interior and exterior landscape maintenance, installation, and design/build contractors. Its mission is to advance the personal and professional growth of its members and the landscape services industry. Membership in the national organization is required of all chapter members.

The goals of the Purdue Chapter are to expand students' education beyond the classroom and to establish closer ties with each other and with professionals in the landscape industry. For students, membership in PLANET offers many benefits, including educational scholarships, a national student career fair and competition, and admission to the national meetings where students can meet and interact with industry professionals.

The Purdue Student Chapter, American Society of Landscape Architects (PASLA) is a student organization that provides professional, social and educational activities for students in the Landscape Architecture program. The club is a student affiliate of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the professional organization of the profession. The faculty advisors are Bernie Dahl and Kent Schuette.

The PASLA has meetings biweekly with the Executive Committee meeting on the alternate weeks. Meeting days are established each semester based on the schedules of most active members. Programs for meetings include guest lecturers from local and regional companies, social events with faculty, and fund-raising projects. Funds are used to bring in nationally known speakers, field trips to visit firms and gardens, awards banquets, and for materials used in community service projects. Some of the PASLA activities help charitable organizations such as Habitat for Humanity.

PASLA is open to all students that have an interest in how we design and plan the land. Involvement in the club is one of the best ways to learn about and gain experience in the profession of Landscape Architecture, meet people with similar interests and interact with the faculty outside of the academic experience.

Purdue Student Farm Organization​

The Purdue Student Farm Organization supports the Student Farm day to day during the academic year: watering transplants in the greenhouse, caring for the honey bees, building infrastructure, planting crops, weeding, harvesting, and delivering produce.

We also host social and educational events related to small farming for our members and their friends. Everyone is welcome!

PSFO meetings are held on Tuesday evenings at 6pm in the Student Farm House-- basment of brick building at 1601 West State Street.

PSFO work parties are generally held on Saturdays beginning at 1 pm at the farm—1601 West State Street, through the gates behind the brick building.​​​​​

For up to date information about meetings, work days, and farm events, join our mailing list, fcap@purdue.edu, or check out our Facebook page.

Purdue Turf Club

Purdue Turf Club is an organization for both Turf Science students as well as students interested in the turf industry. The club was founded in 1995 by a group of Turf Science students as a student chapter of the Golf Course Superintendent Association of America (GCSAA). Turf Club meets every two weeks throughout the school year. Turf Club is a excellent way to start networking with peers at a young age as well as with people from the turf industry. ​

The honor society of Agriculture, Consumer and Family Sciences, and Veterinary Medicine. Gamma Sigma Delta is dedicated to recognizing academic achievement and accomplishments of students, faculty and alumni.

Sigma Lambda Alpha is the international honor society for landscape architects. It is a special honor to be invited to join Sigma Lambda Alpha. Any student of sound character in the LA program may be considered for membership. The student must be a junior or senior with a GPA of 3.2 or higher. Student members are eligible to apply for scholarships and travel grants. Members receive a sealed certificate and lapel pin. Althought this group of students typically does not engage in very many meetings or activities, they often sponsor or host special speakers and other guests on campus. The Xi Chapter of Sigma Lambda Alpha was chartered at Purdue in 1979. The faculty advisor is Bernie Dahl.